The crackers are involuntarily

For several months now I have been following something amazing, and in some way a story very understandable to Russia.

Circles diverge from Edward Snowden, which touch the most diverse strata of American society. For example, mathematicians working in the United States insulted the revealed fact that the National Security Agency (NSA) has amushes for hacking crypto-proof, that is, encrypted Internet communications protocols. And these master keys came from. In the United States, there is an organization similar to the Russian State Standard (now, in the spirit of bureaucratic redundancy, it is called the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology). The American Chamber of Measures and Libra - NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technologies) establishes quite exotic standards. For example, NIST determines which particular data encryption methods should use state organizations in their work. And although private companies are not required to follow these standards, cryptographic methods from state bodies quickly spread to the entire American market, and then around the world.

Data encryption methods usually use random numbers. It is clear that in the strict sense, nothing random computer (unless, of course, it is quantum) can do anything - therefore, algorithms for generating pseudo -random numbers are used. A good generator of pseudo -random numbers is not an elementary thing at all, it should be arranged so that the external observer is difficult to predict how much it will be generated the next time. By and large, the safe data transfer is based precisely on the fact that the sender and recipient know the same randomly generated password.

NIST considers the three pseudo -random numbers generators. By law, determining standards of this kind, Nist is obliged to cooperate with the National Security agency. In 2007, in the process of consultations with NIST, the NSA promoted its own algorithm using elliptical curves. This generator was included in the recommended NIST list.

Then, two young Microsoft employees, speaking at the industry conference, said that in the elliptical curves of the generation method of pseudo -randomic numbers, there is a loophole that gives a hypothetical possibility of a certain key of the third side, for example, the ANB itself, to hack the algorithm, and therefore using its cryptographic schemes. Then, six years ago, a big scandal did not work out. Experts did not agree on whether the loopholes could really work, and if yes, whether it is left by the NSA deliberately or by oversight. But Snowuden's revelations were forced to recall the dubious encryption standard of NIST. It seems that it was the loophole in the algorithm that allowed the NSA to read correspondence and listen to telephone conversations not only civil servants, but also users of a huge number of services using finished algorithms, the quality of which the US government guaranteed.

Well, what does mathematicians have to do with it? Frankly, I have a bad idea of what the employees of the Russian Directorate “K” look like (and even more so “E”) and who becomes them. But the NSA, on his official website, proudly declares: “We are the largest employer for mathematicians in the country.” And this means that in the world too. The NSA hires a significant share of the mathematical education of young specialists who provide the technological power of the agency. The ANB allocates grants, finances conferences, openly collaborates with the American mathematical society. Algorithms with loopholes are not invented by people in uniform. They are created by scientists.

Last month, the magazine “Notes of the American Mathematical Society” published a letter from one of the members of the society, Chicago mathematician Alexander Baylinson. The author writes that the American motherhood must break all the relations with the NSA, and compares this agency with the KGB: “This issue concerns not only US citizens, but also residents of the world. The NSA destroyed the safety of the Internet and the right to private communications in the world. If something can be corrected, then cooperation with the NAS and other similar organizations should become unacceptable for the KGB work for the KGB. Many Soviet people. ”

And although I have not yet heard about the official reaction of the American motherhood (Bailinon’s letter was left without an editorial comment), the civil liability of American scientists, which can be judged by the debts and social networks of the discussion, is worthy of respect. But the inhabitants of Russia themselves can teach the Americans a suspicious attitude to the security forces. Alexander Bailinson was born and raised in the USSR. But you can envy the state, which is based on the best intellectual resources in ensuring its safety, and scientists can choose whether to participate in this work or not.

Sergey Dobrynin - scientific observer RS